This is a great photo. At first you assume the rider is on the tube having a great time. But a second look reveals that the rider is about 12 ft higher and 6 ft to the left of the kite. Near the top of the tree line in the background.
WOW! Great find on that pic, Mark. One of my friends bought one of those, but hadn't used it yet last time I spoke to him. I'd try one in a heart beat.
Sportsstuff will most likely be sued in a class action under the premise of strict liability. There is an inherent design flaw in these tubes that could have been remedied long ago with a simple retrofit.
The instability issue is related to the single attachment point of the harness. It causes major aerodynamic issues. Many people are modifying the their tube with dual attachment points about two feet on either side of the original. These attachment points are then connected to the transom eyes. This results in increased stability and greatly reduces the tendency of these tubes to flip/nosedive when hit with a gust of wind.
Sportsstuff knew about this early on but refused to modify their production method and issue a recall.
This product a good example of why plains have wings and rudders and also why we don't fly on saucers.
Ohio along with other some other states, it is illegal to be airborne on the waterways. I have seen PWC's get tickets for jumping wakes going airborne. Does look fun until it is out of control.
We pulled this product from iboats' online store the same day (well over a month ago) after finding out what is happening with this product while in the consumers' hands.
There is a tremendous number of these already out in the marketplace and we respect that they would voluntarily initiate the recall. Go to their website to find out about the recall. www.sportsstuff.com.
Our prayers and wishes go out to those who have been hurt or those families and friends of those who have been killed with this product.
Good point, I know the air chairs, wake boards, and knee boards can get some air but never get bothered. I think it is one of those deals that is discretion of the officer
That is not where I would want to be.......
